Patti Wright

Wright’s research focuses on past interrelationships between people and plants, or what is called “paleoethnobotany.” She is particularly interested in the development of agriculture in the Midwest. What kinds of plants did people grow? What techniques did they use to grow the crops? How did they process them? How did the growth of these plants influence social identity, economic and political organization, or other aspects of human culture? To these ends, Wright has analyzed archaeological plant assemblages from the Lower Missouri and Middle Mississippi River valleys, and she has recently shifted her attention to the analysis of a series of plant assemblages from northeastern Arkansas.

In addition, Wright is fascinated by how ancient plant remains are preserved and recovered from archaeological contexts and how cultural and natural processes influence our abilities to interpret archaeologically derived plant remains. As a result, she has conducted experiments, documented observations in the field, and contributed to discussions of paleoethnobotanical methods.

Wright is also interested in applied or public archaeology and museums. She recently returned from two years working at the Springs Preserve in Southern Nevada and spent six years serving as the Curator of Native American Ethnology at the Missouri History Museum. At both institutions, Wright curated exhibits and organized and presented public programming to make archaeology more accessible to the public. With the same objective in mind, she continues to work with individuals and organizations in the greater St. Louis area.

314-516-6678